Thomas c



(No Model.)

T. G. GLOW.

M METHOD OP MAKING STQCKINGS AND HUSB- N'O. 358,383. Patented Feb. 22,1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS c. oLOW, OE LAKE VILLAGE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AssIeNOR OE ONEHALE ToHENRY E. QUINEY, OE sAME PLAGE.

METHOD OF MAKING STOCKINGS AND HOSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,383, dated February22, 1887.

Application filed October 30, 1886. Serial No. 217,598. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. GLOW, a citizen of the United States,residing in Lake Village, in the county of Belknap and State of NewHampshire, have invented an Improved Method of Making Stockings andHose; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification.

In carrying into effect my improved art or method l employ anycircular-knitting machine adapted to have raised or moved out of actiona portion of its needles, and to knit a flat web and narrow and widensuch dat web.

The method is as follows: The Work having been put upon the machine, atubular web is first knit to form the leg of a stocking. Then a portionof the needles are raised or moved out of action, leaving a sufficientnumber of needles in action to turn the heel with a fiat web, and theheel is formed by first narrowing the web as far as necessary, and thenwidening the Web again, at the same tilnejoining the edges of thewidened to the edges of the narrowed web in the manner Well known tothose skilled in the art, being effected by a machine of theconstruction above referred to. Then the other needles are brought intoaction,- and a circular web is knit of sufficient Width to form the footof the stocking. The stocking is then cut from the web, and the end issewed up with a curved seam to properly form the toe, and the endtrimmed off around the seam. The work remaining on the needles of theknitting-machine, the circular web is continued to form the leg ofthenext stocking.

I will remark that it is not necessary lo out the stockings one by vonefrom the web. A continuous web may b'e formed of the proper lengthbetween the successive heel-knittings,

. and then cut off at the proper points between the heel portions,togive the required length to the leg and foot portions; and it obviouslyfollows from this that the order of knitting may be the reverse of thatabove set forth-that is, the foot-Web may be rst knit, then the heelformed, and then the leg-web knit.

knit and sewed by the above-described method.

The leg A is first knit to the line a b a, Fig. 2. L

Then the heel B is formed to the line b c by widening and narrowing atthe line b d. Then the foot-web Gis knit to the line ff, Fig. 1, whereit is cut off. Then a curved seam is sewed on the line g g,. and,finally, the end is trimmed Ot'f outside of and at a proper distancefrom the said line g g.

Stockings and hose are knit by this method on a single circular-knittingmachine in a simple and expeditious manner, and after the knitting iscompleted there is no hand-sewing required, and only a short seam issewed With a sewing-machine, and done very quickly. The stockings aremade, therefore, more expeditiously than the ordinary cut-workstockings, while the goods produced have a fullfashioned heel and noseams, except at the eX- tremity of the toe, and are therefore very goodand desirable.

I claim as my invention The method of making stockings which consists infirst knitting a tubular web to form the leg, then moving a part of theneedles out of action and forming the heel by first narrowing andafterward widening the flat web on the needles in action, joining theedges of the narrowed and widened portions of the web in the act ofwidening, then' knitting a tubular web of sufficient length to form thefoot of the stocking, then cutting off the web and sewing a curved seamacross the web to close and shape the toe of the stocking, and trimmingoff the web beyond the sewed seam, substam tially as herein specified.

THOMAS C. GLOW.

Witnesses:

E. H. BLAIsDELL, J. M. HUBBARD.

